Archive for June, 2010

Checked all hives for eggs (queen check) and how much space they needed. The eve hive looked like it swarmed but it did rake in alot of honey. The lang hives were cranking quite well, one had totally crosscombed it’s super. So I pulled it and salvaged the honey. About 3 liters. Gave some to my neighbors, and put the brood comb and honey drenched frames in a tub and put it outside to be robbed out by local hives. Several combs broke in transit, and I may have another 2 liters in the back of my truck. So much that honey is running out of the back of my truck. hmmm.

.

One hive looked queenless and was far gone. I merged it with a nuc to make a proper hive. That brings me to 8 hives at the yard, and a TBH nuc plus the Bertil estate hive and the two swarms in traps.

Back from my trip out to West Texas. Got a little under the weather, the wife and I caught a minor cold from my baby nephew. But I was still up for checking a swarm trap today, the trap set at the flood settlement pond. It finally caught one, saw consistent bee traffic going in and out. Just before I left for the trip, I noticed that the swarm trap next to my driveway caught another swarm. So that puts the count at 4 swarms caught this season. I think I only have 10 traps deployed right now. I haven’t even checked the 2 near the school or the one in the park north of me.

.

So I intend to move these after dark sometime this week. Roberto caught a swarm too, so we will move his at the same time.

Well, the massive swarm absconded. I did everything right but put in a frame of brood to anchor them down. However, the TBH nuc and Lang nucs are doing well. I saw queen cells in the TBH nuc.

.

Busy weekend. On friday my French collegue, Frank, and I recovered a hive in an owlbox. Unfortunately, somewhere between removing it off the tree and the transport home, the combs collapsed and the hive died.

.

Yesterday, Frank and I went out to Manor Texas and recovered a hive in a upside down cooler. Very nice & easy recovery, slipped a window screen underneath and lifted the cooler up by the handles while holding the window screen in place. QUite heavy, I think they have great stores.

.

Bertil tells me that my hive at his estate is no longer taking sugar water, so honeyflow is now on in North central Austin.